Peter and the Starcatcher is a play by Rick Elice based on the YA novel by humorist Dave Barry and Author Ridley Pearson. I’ve not read the book, but assuming the play more or less follows the plot, it’s a prequel to Peter Pan. Pan’s origin story if you will. I know Barry’s work as a columnist and writer of humor books, but I wasn’t under the impression that the novel was comedic. The same cannot be said of the play version which is very, very funny. Fans of Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood will find this production right up their alley. What makes this production at Lyric Arts so entertaining aside from a great script is the superb cast and the creative direction of Scott Ford. I love a production that embraces the reality that it is a play and uses imagination to create the world of it’s characters. Stage magic, like blue banners for the ocean waves or a tiny model ship to represent a mighty frigate, are as welcome to me on a stage as a meticulously crafted real world style set. I love the choices Ford and his Scenic Designer Peter Lerohl have made here. In fact, kudos to the entire artist team which include Samantha Fromm Haddow (Costume Designer), Shannon Elliott (Lighting Designer), Corinne Steffens (Sound Designer), Kat Walker (Prop Designer), as well as Music Director Wesley Frye and Choreographer Lauri Kraft.

Ford is blessed with a talented cast that includes a few names that faithful readers will recognize, Noah Hynick, Alex Stokes, and Brendan Nelson Finn. Hynick, who seems to be a strong component of the majority of Lyric Arts productions over the last few years plays Black Stache, the pirate villain of the piece. Hynick plays into the absurdity of scenes but also knows when to be the one who’s smarter than everyone else and sees how silly everyone is being. Stokes who plays Mrs. Bumbrake among other roles, and Finn who plays ships captain Bill Slank among other roles, are both master of the comedic look, and the master at hilarious throw away line readings. The roles they both play are perfectly suited to their comedic strengths which are considerable. Also contributing considerably to the hilarity are Brendan Veerman as Smee and Charlie Morgan as Alf. The one bit of casting that is a bit of a head scratcher is Nate Turcotte who’s performance as Peter is surprisingly bland and one-note. As I say, I’ve not seen the play before, perhaps it is the way the role is written. Thankfully for a Peter Pan origin story, Peter isn’t any larger than most of the ensemble roles and doesn’t detract from the production as a whole, he just isn’t funny, inspiring or heroic. May Heinecke who plays Molly, think Wendy in Peter Pan, does come off as heroic and fiery, and Eric Knutson as her father Lord Aster, isn’t comedic, but comes across as engaging and steadfast.

Peter and the Starcatcher is a very entertaining and hilarious adventure, with great comedic turns from multiple actors which should not be missed. It runs through September 29th at Lyric Arts in Anoka for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/peter-starcatcher

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time.

But that’s not all! Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . Now you too can be in the know about all the fabulous theater happening in and around the Twin Cities.

Lincoln’s Children the new play by Mike McGeever opened to a sold out house this Friday. Now it’s in the Crane Studio which is rather tiny so that isn’t as unlikely as one might think. But, having seen the work I can tell you if there is any justice in the world it should be a sold out run. The next time we see it performed, and it is a work we should see again and again, it will be in a larger venue. It’s not only important work, it does the one thing that theater needs to do in this time and place, it entertains. There is a line in the play attributed to Abraham Lincoln, and I’m paraphrasing without a script at hand, If you can get a man to laugh you can get him to think. Which is exactly what McGeever does with his play. Don’t mistake me, it isn’t a comedy, but like life, it has plenty to laugh at. A superb cast along with an intelligent script combined with a tiny venue, the answer to that equation is get your tickets now.

Lincoln’s Children tells its story across two timelines. In the present Professor Mathers, a white academic hires Chloe, a young black graduate student to be his research assistant. Mathers is writing his umpteenth book on Lincoln and looking for an assistant with a fresh perspective. Chloe is the descendant of a black slave who was loaned to Mary Todd Lincoln in the mid 1800’s. That is the other time period that the play takes place in. Chloe is a good researcher but she also has her own agenda which is to try and prove that she is a descendant of Abraham Lincoln. Chloe represents Black America in the present and in the past. In both time periods she’s clearly intelligent, but it’s only in the present that she can show it freely. As we all know freedom as a concept and freedom as a reality are different things. Present day Chloe is able to question and argue and through her the things that are still very wrong in our country have a voice. She debates points with Professor Mathers who is not the embodiment of all that is wrong with the white man in modern times. That role is played by his mentor Calhoun Alexander, a good ol’ southern white academic. Mathers is the white America that tries to do better and thinks he does, but still doesn’t get that the field is not level. What struck me most about McGeever’s script is his ability to understand, present, ridicule, yet still show compassion for a character like Mathers. We don’t hate him, but we shake our heads at him. The other great thing McGeever did is give the character of Chloe the intelligence to make the arguments against the status quo, clear and effective.

As Chloe and Mathers, Kyra Richardson and Jeremy Motz are perfectly cast. Richardson knows how to make her point and make it stick, her line deliveries are like darts hitting the bullseye every time. We see her intelligence but also her flashes of anger at the world that isn’t color blind. Her Chloe in Lincoln’s time is completely different, there is still intelligence, but it’s used not to fight injustice or ignorance but to stay alive, which means keeping her head down and intelligence to herself. Motz plays the mansplainer who doesn’t know he’s a mansplainer. He’s intelligent as well, but he’s not as tenacious, he’s a white man, he’s never needed to be. Motz is the stand in for the good intentioned but entitled white male, he finds the humanity in the character so that we are genuinely angry with him when he makes a feeble and misguided move. I was so involved that I actually tried to verbally restrain him before I realized what I was doing. My apologies to the cast and audience, that “No!” was me. I can think of no higher compliment to pay Richardson and Motz than to admit that I was so involved with what they were doing that I forgot I was in the theater. The supporting roles are so well cast from Nicholas Nelson who is perfect in look and speech as Lincoln to Ariel Pinkerton who makes you see what a difficult woman she would have been to cross. Winifred Froelich, Dawn Krosnowski, and Scott Gilbert all make the most of their small roles and it’s a credit to their talents and Mcgeever’s writing that none of them feel like caricatures, well maybe Gilbert’s Calhoun Alexander does, but it’s a true to life caricature that’s perfectly executed.

The play is directed by Duck Washington whose timing within scenes is impeccable. The play clips along, but there is no sense of it being rushed. The only decision I don’t agree with, though there may be reasons for it, is the shifting of the table between scenes. One assumes this is done to show a change of location but it’s unnecessary. Otherwise the set design by Keven Lock is exactly what is needed without anything extraneous, which is essential given the space limitations. CJ Mantel has done nice work with the costume design particularly with Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, and the Chloe from that time line.

Lincoln’s Children is a play that deals with very real and important issues, more than there was time to unpack in this review. It makes you laugh and then helps you to think about our world, what it is based on, what is true, what is fact. It reminds us that history isn’t truth, it’s the story told by those in power. It runs through September 22nd in the intimate Crane Studio Theatre for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://fortunesfooltheatre.org/what-were-doing

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time.

But that’s not all! Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . Now you too can be in the know about all the fabulous theater happening in and around the Twin Cities.

The Physicists is an odd play, not just its plot but it’s tone as well. It begins as a dark comedy, possibly a comedy thriller, takes a turn into the absurd, morphs into a tale of espionage, and ends as a drama of philosophical and political ideas. Written by Friedrich Durrenmatt, translated by James Kirkup, and skillfully Directed by Allison Vincent, The Physicists features a fantastic cast. It’s an odd play to end the summer on, it’s not escapist fun, though it contains many entertaining and humorous moments, nor is it a serious play, though it’s message is. I think going in knowing this is a play that gives you a little of everything will help you enjoy the ride, I certainly did. Note to the management it’s too warm in the theater, which you could sense a bit of sluggishness in the audience, but not thankfully in the cast. The temperature in the lobby was perfect, replicate that and you’ll have an attentive and alert audience.

When a murder occurs at a mental asylum, Inspector Voss is on the scene with his men. This is the second murder of a nurse in the last three months. If you’re wondering who killed the nurse, don’t, it’s not that kind of play. The murderer of this nurse was a patient who thinks he is Albert Einstein, he is not however responsible for the previous killing, that was another patient who thinks he’s Sir Isaac Newton. The third patient, as there are only the three left in this wing, is actually another Physicists, Johann Wilhelm Mobius. They are all under the care of Fraulein Doktor Mathilde von Zahnd. Everything seems straightforward, including who killed the dead nurses. But then Sir Newton throws the first spanner in the works by revealing that he isn’t Newton at all but actually Einstein. He doesn’t let on though because it would upset the other patient that believes himself to be Einstein. Suddenly it’s unclear who is really who, or at least who do they think they are? Who’s mad, who’s sane? As the reveals become more absurd they also begin to feel more real. Just as the play itself progresses it gets more and more outlandish but at the same time more serious.

The three patients Newton, Einstein, and Mobius are played to perfection by Peter Christian Hansen, Pearce Bunting, and Alex Galick. Hansen pulls off the costume of Sir Isaac Newton as only he could. His regal stature and strong face are perfectly suited to Newton’s period clothes and his long majestic wig. Hansen is also gifted with not only a fierce intelligence but the ability to convey it as well. Bunting is surprisingly convincing at presenting a believable looking Einstein, and the combination of his more grizzled look with some outlandishly goofy actions, a pistol standoff comes to mind, earns solid laughs. Galick, the true Physicist is really the soul of the play. I’d say heart, but I don’t think there is a lot of heart in this play, but there is soul and Galick is excellent at embodying it. He’s stuck with a lot of explanatory reasoning in the final act which could have become quite dry, but he knows just how to inject enough passion and reason into his lines that his arguments win us over rather than put us to sleep. Also of note are Sara Marsh as Fraulein Doktor Mathilde von Zahnd and Jason Ballweber as Inspector Voss. Marsh commits completely to a delightfully eccentric character vocally and physically, in fact I hope she isn’t in too much pain by the end of the run, because what she does is amazing, but has to be painful. Ballweber’s Inspector Voss is surrounded by incompetence, which he turns into some of the funniest reactions both verbal and nonverbal in the whole play.

Let’s talk for a minute about Allison Vincent shall we? I know she isn’t new to the scene, but it seems like you can’t swing a cat in this town without hitting something brilliant that Vincent is involved in. Seriously at 2023 Twin Cities Horror Fest she was in the two best shows. She was involved in 3 of the top 12 shows I saw at The Minnesota Fringe Festival, and without being put on the spot, it’s safe to say it was three of the top 5 at Fringe. Here again we see what sets her apart, there is no mistaking the directorial hand of Vincent on this production. A master of movement you can see the guiding hand behind every bit of physical movement, from the ways in which characters exit the stage to the little bits of business that turn trying to take a seat into a laugh or even more miraculously, a building block of the characters. Vincent is backed by artists in every department that help to create this unique bit of theater. Sara Marsh’s costumes are perfect, from Newton’s Wig and clothing to the male Asylum attendants tight shirts. Scenic and Prop Designer Michael James has given us a very interesting set. With three free standing doors along the back of the performance space and wall lighting sconces that hang in midair between them, it’s a mirror to the sometimes absurd tone of the play. Shannon Elliot has some very interesting lighting cues, including the final moment before the lights go out, that really highlight nicely James’ set design.

The Physicists is definitely a comedy but it also has things to say that really do mean something. Mobius has a point of view that says something important, but this isn’t just a play about ideas, as off kilter as it is it’s also about reality. Because we can be full of ideals but reality like nature finds a way to survive. It’s basically the same cautionary tale as Jurassic Park, but it’s funnier and with a lot less dinosaurs. The Physicists runs through September 15th at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.simpletix.com/e/the-physicists-tickets-175452

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

*Portions of this review (plot Synopsis) are adapted from a previous review

You may be saying to yourselves St. Croix Festival Theatre, isn’t that across the state line into Wisconsin? Well yes it is, and yes that is a little outside of The Stages of MN’s jurisdiction. But, while my review may not hold up in court, it is enough to hopefully interest some of my readers to take a delightful little day trip to this newly renovated theater and enjoy their wonderful production of The Spitfire Grill. The St. Croix Festival Theatre production is being staged in the newly renovated Historic Auditorium and aside from being a fan of the show, checking out the space was a reason to make the journey. My wife and I made a bit of a day out of the excursion, enjoying a scenic drive up and a little light shopping after the show in the surrounding shops. We capped our day off with a step back in time at the enchanting Dalles House Supper Club. I mention this as I know many will need more motivation to make a 40 to 60 minute trip to see a theatrical production. All in all this was a wonderful day excursion the highlight of course being The Spitfire Grill production.

*The Spitfire Grill is based on the 1996 film of the same title and tells the story of Percy Talbott, a young woman just released from prison who looks for a fresh start in a dying small town named Gilead. Percy’s bus is met by the local Sheriff Joe Sutter who will serve as her parole officer. Sheriff Sutter takes her to the Spitfire Grill a rundown old Diner and convinces the owner Hannah Ferguson to take Percy on as a waitress and give her a room. At breakfast on her first morning, the town begins to wonder about Percy led by the town gossip and Postmistress Effy Krayneck. We also meet Hannah’s nephew Caleb and his wife Shelby, Caleb has been trying to sell the Spitfire Grill for the last 10 years. Just when Percy is questioning her decision to live in Gilead, Hannah falls and breaks her leg. Percy is enlisted to run the Spitfire with help from Shelby. Running the diner together Percy and Shelby bond and hatch an idea to raffle off the Spitfire Grill. Hannah gradually warms to the idea and they post the contest in newspapers. To enter, contestants need to send $100 and an essay on why they want the diner. The musical isn’t really about the contest and the diner, it’s about making connections and laying down roots. It’s about the concept of second chances and the re-emergence of hope.

I wasn’t sure what to expect so far out from the cities, production and performance wise. I was very pleasantly surprised on both counts. The set by David Markson was right in line with say a Yellow Tree or Theatre in the Round production. While the stage is on the smaller side Markson does a nice job by creating levels that help distinguish various rooms within the Spitfire Grill. The customer seating area and kitchen both having entrances that allow for a natural and logical flow for the characters movements within scenes. A particularly nice touch is the tree stump out back of the Grill. Director Mark Rosenwinkel and Music Director Karl Wicklund both master the task of making something special out of this small and intimate show. Wicklund has only three musicians, but it’s honestly all this simple but beautiful score needs. The cast is solid with the actors playing the three women who run the Spitfire, Beth Siegling (Percy), Elizabeth Streiff (Hannah), and Lindsey Fry (Shelby) giving exceptional performances. Streiff especially really captured the tone and felt very authentic as Hannah.

The Spitfire Grill a show I only first discovered this spring is a very uplifting, inspirational, and emotionally satisfying musical. The Spitfire Grill runs through September 1st at the newly renovated The Historic Auditorium of St. Croix Falls. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.festivaltheatre.org/main-stage-series.html

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

What do you do when one of the candidates drops out of the Presidential election a few weeks before the political sketch comedy show you’ve written is about to open? You salvage what you can and rewrite the rest. What do you do with the new guy you hired to play Joe Biden and how do you handle the fact that you really don’t have a great fit in the cast for Vice President Harris? You lean into those facts and spin comedy gold from them. The new show at Brave New Workshop in downtown Minneapolis, No Country For Two Old Men, which opened this week gets it’s best bits from acknowledging how these turn of events affected their show. Joining regular cast members Lauren Anderson, Denzel Belin, Isabella Dunsieth, Doug Neithercott, is Twin Cities Theater Blogger “One to Watch” Jeffrey Nolan, who yes that’s right, was hired to play Biden. Neithercott, the other white man in the show, makes a very good Donald Trump and Nolan is hilarious as Biden. The show is able to capitalize on Nolan’s Biden a little bit, and then gets good mileage out of Nolan’s anxiety over having been hired specifically for a role that really isn’t needed anymore. Don’t worry they use him to good effect throughout the show. The shows dilema now is that they need a Harris, but they don’t have a mixed race Black and Asian woman in the cast. How they solve this involves using two cast members simultaneously to check as many of the boxes as they can is inspired.

I saw a preview of the show which meant they were still fine tuning it and making changes, lucky for me I got to see some things that will be cut, though I don’t know what those are. But it makes it even more pointless for me to try and tell you about the show. First, who wants the sketches and jokes ruined? No one! Secondly, what if I tell you about something that gets changed and you spend all night waiting for that one moment. In fact, what if the bits I have mentioned already get cut? I doubt they will as they are some of the best bits in the show. Now to be honest this was a little flatter than previous shows but I’m chalking that up to two things, one it was a preview and I know they will be tightening things up by the time you all see it. Two they had to rewrite almost the entire show after it was written. That said it’s still more consistently funny than anything Saturday Night Live has done in years. The cast is as always just fantastic and Nolan is a great addition. I’m torn between hoping he joins them for their next show and hoping he doesn’t so that I’ll get to see him doing a variety of plays over the next theater season.

I know there are some who just can’t take anymore politics right now. For some we are at a place where things are almost too scary to be funny. I do get that, and if that’s how you feel I understand skipping this one. For those of you like me, who feel like if you don’t laugh about it you’ll probably start crying, I recommend letting the cast of No Country For Two Old Men help you get those tears of laughter flowing to release some of the pressure. The show runs through November 2nd for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://bravenewworkshop.org/

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time.

But that’s not all! Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . Now you too can be in the know about all the fabulous theater happening in and around the Twin Cities.

This year I both tied and surpassed my previous Minnesota Fringe records. Last year I saw 50 shows. This year I saw 50 shows, but I attended 52 performances, 2 were repeats. That is also something new this year, I’ve never attended a Fringe show twice before. For me Fringe is all about choices, there are more shows in the Minnesota Fringe festival each year than there are time slots in which to see them. In any other year the thought of seeing a repeat of a show rather than something new would have been unheard of. That’s how good the two shows I saw twice were, their greatness outweighed the possibility of seeing two unique shows.

The two I repeated were Allison Vincent’s Daddy Issues and Emily Boyajian Transition: A Story of Two Trans People Becoming Themselves. The thing these two shows had in common was they both brought tears to my eyes both times I saw them. When it came time to award The Stages of MN Best in Fest Award I decided the only thing I could really live with was to award it to both shows. Daddy Issues will be part of the Fringe Encore series at The Phipps Center for the Arts in WI. The performance is 7:00 PM Saturday August 17th at 7:00 PM go here for tickets to Daddy Issues and the four other Fringe shows https://thephipps.org/events/fringe . Transition: A Story of Two Trans People Becoming Themselves we can only hope will get a remount at some point. I’d love to see a group like Out Front Minnesota or Transforming Families of Minnesota utilize this wonderful creation as entertainment at one of their fundraisers. Boyajian’s orchestral score and inspirational lyrics would be very appropriate for a black tie affair. One can hope and dream.

I also want to list the next ten best shows of this years festival, these are in alphabetical order:

Next 10 Best:

• 5 X 5
• A Horse Walks Out Onto a Stage and Dies
• A Murder on the Great Grimpen Mire Express
• Beanie Baby Divorce Play
• Good Ones
• Juliet & Juliet: Improvised Shakespeare
• Love Lies a Bleeding
• Pants on Fire
• Put a Needle in Me
• The Peter Pan Cometh

Every year I continue on this Blogging journey I find myself connecting more and more with the theater community. Minnesota Fringe is such a great festival for fostering those artist and audience relationships. The person you just saw in a show is sitting with you at the next one. But it’s also a great time to connect with fellow theatergoers. I appreciate all of the artists who took a little time to talk with me throughout the festival about their shows and what projects they have coming up. I loved talking to other audience members about what they had seen and what they thought I should see. I have a special warm place in my heart for those who came up and introduced themselves as readers of my reviews. Sometimes it feels like we do this in a vacuum, I try and avoid looking at my blog stats until end of year and then just to ensure that the reach is growing. So it means an awful lot when people come up and let me know they are reading and seeing shows based on my recommendations. That is a situation that has been tending to happen at more and more shows and Fringe led to the most per 11 day span ever. So faithful readers whether I met you at a show or at Fringe or haven’t yet, I thank you.

To end here is a link to the Minnesota Fringe Golden Lanyard Award Winners and some photos from this years Minnesota Fringe Festival. I just wish I’d gotten more Photos, I always forget to do that. https://minnesotafringe.org/awards